Bashed! Well- I'll be Billhooksed!

 

The Billhooks BASH 

From left to right standing Richard Marriot, Steve Wood, Steve Cooper, Paul Baldwin, Lloyd Lewis, Mark Taylor, Ralph Dutton, Andy Callan, Peter Harris, Ian Callan,Richard Bason

Kneeling Colin Bright, Mike Peters Unfortunately some folk had already left when we took this picture

The Billhooks BASH held at Boards and Swords Hobbies Derby is THE tournament to be at for all enthusiastic Billhookers and BASH 4 may well have been the best yet.

 Brilliantly organised and managed by Pete Harris, there were so many players this year that it took both floors to accommodate us.

  “Peter has managed to create an event that as well as being well organised, is played in the spirit that most wargamers would appreciate. It’s great to meet up with likeminded people in the hobby and spend a day in such pleasant company.” Steve Wood

The Fourth BASH was always going to be a good one, the game is becoming popular. Billux Dillux has been in print for a while and has sold over 3,000 copies and there are now 3,500 members of the Billhooks Facebook page, a lively, proactive group and word has been getting around about just how much fun the BASH can be!

Boards and Swords is an excellent venue, the staff are friendly and helpful. A happy buzz from the busy Billhookers soon filled the air, like bees but noisier. Old foes exchanged challenges and new adversaries joined in the light hearted Billhooks Banter. Billhookers are a fun loving, sociable group as the revelries of the previous night in the Brewing Tap House, now a well-established pre-BASH tradition, had demonstrated.

Such a traditional part of the event in fact that BASHers should now win awards for their performance. As such Lloyd Lewis definitely takes home the award for first to the bar, a record breaking 3.30 pm and Ian Callan wins in the “still able to hold a lucid debate at the end of the night” award for his 2am discussion with a couple of gents from Britain First in the Hotel Bar. “Most staggery early in the evening” award goes to Mark Taylor having got completely Billhooksed, although there were too many contenders for the “wobbly legs at the end of the evening” category to declare a clear winner.

Author of Billhooks Andy Callan was there as Games Guru and Umpire as were the usual mix Billhooks Veterans and several players new to the game. The BASH is a friendly, non-competitive gathering where all are welcome and veterans and rookies are all equally respected. To be honest, new players have just as much chance of doing well as the Old Guard.

 Andy gave us short introductory talk and we all received a unique souvenir, a special edition “BASH only” new Special Event card provided by Wargames Illustrated!  “Better Late then Never!” Allows you to use your general if he is the last card drawn in the turn- and I drew it twice in my games! 

Colin Brights field tent! Add a couple of dice and this could be a symbol for Billhooks!

The format for this event is now well established with each gamer using a force of 120 points representing either Lancaster/Tudor or York although this time there was a more exotic feel to the day with several armies being fielded from the Deluxe lists. Each Player plays three games throughout the day with a break for lunch and the best painted army competition after the first game.

Ian Callan had a Welsh army, Simon Clark  marched an English 100 year war army onto the table and Ralphie Dutton presented a very nicely painted French Army themed on the battle of Formigny. Robbie Roddis and Steve Wood both fielded Irish armies, although Steve generously played a Lancastrian army in his first game against Billhooks virgin Colin Bright. Such is the nature of this tournament. We are all nice guys…no ..really…we are.

Probably the most unusual army of the day was Pete Harris’ Border Warden and Reiver Army that had FIVE cavalry squadrons. I wish I had got some better pics of it

Steve Wood “The games are played with a wry sense of humour rather than a competitive edge, with good fortune and bad met with the same amused resignation and acceptance!” Never a truer word!

  Pic-Steve Coopers formidable looking Lancastrians

Pic My Yorkists with their King!

  My first game was against Steve Coopers Lancastrians. I managed to make a strong drive through his centre with my Heroic King Edward IV aided by the Goddess of Good Fortune, my dice seemed to roil only fives and sixes. Steve played well and put up a strong defence but there was nothing he could do to change my good fortune and I sixed his army to defeat. There is no doubt that this is actually a winning tactic in this game as in many others

After the first round York were in the lead at five games to four.  We stopped for pizza, everything stops for pizza, and the painting competition which I managed to win despite some strong competition. 

Pic Steve Wood’s Irish

Notable were Steve Wood’s Irish Army, mostly kit-bashed, with cavalry mounted on cushions, Ralphie Dutton’s French 100 YRW very thematic, based on the force at Formigny, Colin Bright’s Lancastrians complete with bowstrings and Mark Taylors Lancastrians with a nice tableau of Henry VI indulging archery practice-well, watching it!

 

There was a palpable atmosphere of joy as we entered Round Two, the happy murmur of wargamers enjoying themselves interrupted by the occasional shout of triumph or despair and the very noisy hard-fought contest between Roddie Roddis and Mark Taylor, a true grudge match though light hearted as is right between two established adversaries and firm friends, was probably the highlight of the session. Mark had very lucky dice and twice double sixed at crucial moments much to Robbie’s audible despair. 

 pic Robbies Army 

We were given Special Souvenir Special Event Cards at the beginning of the event. These cards can only be obtained by attending one of many events throughout the year. I drew this one in both of my battles and it’s a cracker!

   I had an excellent second round battle with Ian Callan which really went to the wire despite my formidable dice rolling. Ian’s Welsh...er…Kerns, charging forward on both of my flanks would have curdled my blood if I had not very skilfully continued to roll sixes and shoot them all down with my skirmishers.

The last draw of a card saved my badly injured King whose Men at Arms had been flanked and pipping Ian at the last moment with no coins left in my tent! Phew!

After the Second Round the Yorkists had established a strong lead of eleven games to seven. Surely there was no way the Lancastrians could recover from this. Hmmmm….

The Third Round began in the same lusty manner. I tried to get everywhere and see every game but the one that really caught my attention was the epic struggle between seasoned Billhooks veteran Pete Harris and BASH first timer Lloyd Lewis.

Pete’s Border Warden and Reiver army had five cavalry squadrons-Lloyd Lewis “All those horses were a scary sight and the speed of movement left me bamboozled! My plan centred on taking a large central hill and then facing outwards in a “Custer’s Last Stand” approach”

Lloyd’s no greenhorn though, indeed he is a seasoned wargames veteran and he dug deep and hung on in there. This game went right to the wire too with Pete failing a morale test at a crucial moment and Lloyd stealing the win.

Pic Lloyds Lancastrians Last Stand

Lancaster made a strong come back in the afternoon sessions and the final result was a narrow 14 to 13 victory to the Red Rose!

Congratulations to Mark Taylor for winning all three games and commiserations to David Grumitt who lost all three of his.

Everybody had a marvellous time and we are all looking forward to Mister BIG Billhooks on May 6^th  in Bristol. Tickets for which are still available, contact  B-I-G or message me for more information.

Pic Mark Taylors vignette “King Henry’s Archery Practice”